About

Cider with Mariabegan as a correspondence venture to update some friends in the UK on the growing cider industry in North America, particularly the events at Cider Con. Over time, however, it has become an eclectic collection of thoughts and meditations on the culture, history, and contemporary experiences surrounding cider, orchards, vineyards, wine, artisanal food, and rural landscapes. It is ethnographic, ephemeral, and based entirely on the experiences and whims of one cider drinker with a writing habit.

I received my PhD from Indiana University’s Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology. My research examined countryside conservation and agricultural heritage issues in the UK, specifically looking at orchard landscapes and small scale cider production.

I dabble in home wine and cider making, but I am not a commercial producer, purveyor, or politician. I am a story-teller. The title of my blog nods to Laurie Lee’s memoir, an inspiration, and a gift given to me by my first cider making mentor.

Maria Kennedy retains copyright for all content on this blog, including text and original photos.

Hey Maria – I enjoyed reading your blog posts so far; it’s interesting to hear about Cider Con 2013 & what seems like a search for identity(!). Born in Somerset, living in East Anglia (Cambridge) and having also spent a bit of time at Broome Farm, it’s easy to take it for granted… Historically (I’m led to believe), our cider was displaced westwards by the beer-brewing Saxons in the east, then influenced by our Norman desert-apple growing cousins from the south; hence the lack of tannics in East Anglia – much to my chagrin! What’s the history of cider in the USA? Did it die out or is it a continuous lineage? Keep writing – interesting stuff!